World Briefs: Navy launches first unmanned aircraft

Tuesday

May 14, 2013 at 4:55 AM

ABOARD THE USS GEORGE H.W. BUSH — The Navy for the first time Tuesday launched an unmanned aircraft the size of a fighter jet from a warship in the Atlantic Ocean, as it wades deeper into America's drone program amid growing concerns over the legality of its escalating surveillance and lethal strikes.

ABOARD THE USS GEORGE H.W. BUSH — The Navy for the first time Tuesday launched an unmanned aircraft the size of a fighter jet from a warship in the Atlantic Ocean, as it wades deeper into America’s drone program amid growing concerns over the legality of its escalating surveillance and lethal strikes.

The drone, called the X-47B, is considered particularly valuable because it’s the first that is designed specifically to take off and land on an aircraft carrier, allowing it to be used around the world without needing the permission of other countries to serve as a home base.

There has been increasing pushback against the use of drones from some nations that say the strikes cause widespread civilian deaths and operate with only limited oversight, eroding the U.S. image overseas. Navy officials say the drone will provide around-the-clock intelligence, surveillance and targeting capabilities.

The X-47B took off successfully Tuesday morning and made two low approaches to the ship before heading back toward land. The test aircraft isn’t intended for operational use; instead, the military is using the information it gathers during these demonstrations to develop the drone program. The Navy already operates two other unmanned aircraft, the small, low cost ScanEagle, which does not carry weapons, and the armed Fire Scout which is built more like a helicopter.

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U.S. diplomat accused of spying

MOSCOW — A U.S. diplomat disguised in a blond wig was caught trying to recruit a Russian counterintelligence officer in Moscow, Russia’s security services announced Tuesday, claiming the American was a CIA officer.

Ryan Fogle, a third secretary at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, was carrying special technical equipment, disguises, written instructions and a large sum of money when he was detained overnight, Russia’s Federal Security Service said.

The FSB, the successor agency to the Soviet-era KGB, said Fogle was trying to recruit a Russian counterterrorism officer who specializes in the Caucasus, the volatile region in southern Russia where the two Boston Marathon bombing suspects have their ethnic roots.

Fogle, who was handed over to U.S. Embassy officials, was declared persona non grata and ordered to leave Russia immediately, the Foreign Ministry said. He has diplomatic immunity, which protects him from arrest.

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Pakistan vote count shows Sharif win

ISLAMABAD — The vote count from last weekend’s nationwide elections in Pakistan on Tuesday indicates a big win for former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s party.

Figures released by the country’s election commission, based on 254 of the 269 races where the counting has been completed, show Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League-N party will likely get a majority in the national assembly, setting him up to be prime minister for the third time.

As the new premier, the 63-year-old Sharif, a devout Muslim and a populist, is expected to supplant President Asif Ali Zardari as the international face of a nuclear power whose increasing instability and Islamic militant havens are a global concern, especially at a time when the West is looking to end the war in neighboring Afghanistan.

Sharif’s party so far has won 123 of the 254 directly elected national assembly seats, the commission spokesman Khursheed Alam said. The commission is still compiling results for 15 seats, and Alam said it hopes the remaining results will be released by Tuesday evening.

Earlier reports from the election commission on Tuesday wrongly indicated that the count was over.

The White House said President Barack Obama had spoken with Sharif by telephone to congratulate him on his party’s success. White House spokesman Jay Carney called the election and peaceful transfer of power a “significant milestone” in Pakistan’s progress toward a more democratic political system.